Ethics and Religion Talk: Are you morally obligated to put shopping carts in their place?

AP File PhotoEthics and Religion Talk: Is it your job to put abandoned shopping carts in their place?

GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Whether you're picking up some burgers and brats for a football tailgater or just stocking your kitchen cupboards for the week, please keep this in mind on your next trip to the grocery store: Put your shopping cart where it belongs!

And, in case you see a few carts strewn around the store's parking lot, put those in their place, too!

But that's just my opinion. In this week's Ethics and Religion Talk, Rabbi David Krishef and his panel of clergy share their own views on shopping carts and what to do with those stragglers our fellow shoppers apparently left behind:

Am I morally obligated to return shopping carts carts to return areas? If I see a cart that has been left in a wrong spot, in the middle of a parking space, can I leave it where it is or do I have to bring it to the correct return area?

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Ethics and Religion Talk, by Rabbi David Krishef

Here's what the panelists say:

Rev. Doug Van Doren, pastor of Plymouth United Church of Christ in Grand Rapids

“On first blush this seems like a small matter to endow with the weight of ‘moral obligation.’ On the other hand, life is lived and community is formed primarily in the small, seemingly mundane things that we do — or don’t do. Certainly from my faith perspective it is a ‘moral obligation’ to participate in creating community that is affirming and life-giving. The simple matter of returning a shopping cart to its designated place means that it isn’t blocking a parking space or careening into the side of someone’s car! That is just a way of living out the command to ‘do unto others as you would have them do unto you.'"

Rabbi David Krishef, Congregation Ahavas Israel in Grand Rapids

“The classic Jewish source on returning lost property is Deuteronomy 22:1-3: ‘If you see your fellow’s ox or sheep gone astray, do not ignore it; you must take it back to your fellow. If your fellow does not live near you or you do not know who he is, you shall bring it home and it shall remain with you until your fellow claims it; then you shall give it back to him. You shall do the same with his ass; you shall do the same with his garment; and so too shall you do with anything that your fellow loses and you find: you must not remain indifferent.’ I admit that when I am in a hurry or really have my hands full, I do not always take the time to return carts other than my own. Granted, a shopping cart that has not been properly returned is not exactly lost property, but the spirit behind these verses suggests that we would do well to help out the owners of the store and their employees, and also take pity on other shoppers, who might suffer property damage from a wayward cart hitting their car.”

Dr. Aly Mageed, a leader of the Islamic Mosque and Religious Institute of Grand Rapids

“A Hadith (narration by the prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him) states that elimination of road blocks or obstacles as well as the removal of any harmful object off the road would be a charity. I would say that there are two types: One is mandatory, when someone is in immediate danger. Another is highly recommended, when danger is not imminent but potential danger is possible. So I would say, yes, I am morally obligated to return carts to their allocated areas and removal of those left by others that may be in the way, especially if an attendant is not in sight and they are in a potentially harmful location. If not, it is still nice to do so, but as an additional act of charity.”

A summary:

When I drive into a supermarket parking lot, what I see might tell me something about the community and the neighborhood. A lot in which I can easily find a clear place to park, in which the building and parking lot are well maintained, might be a sign that people in this neighborhood care about each other and the local businesses. A parking lot in which I need to dodge an obstacle course of carts to find a parking place might be a sign that the locals don't think about the needs of others, and is a much less welcoming experience.

In what small ways daily could you, should you, do you show love and charity for others, especially others that you don't know? Do you encounter situations that you think your faith tradition should teach about?

Share your responses below, and e-mail your own ethical dilemmas for the panel to consider.

Ethics and Religion Talk is compiled and written by David Krishef, rabbi at Congregation Ahavas Israel in Grand Rapids. Krishef takes questions from readers and shares them with a panel of clergy, then provides the responses in collaboration with MLive.com reporter Matt Vande Bunte. Please submit questions from your own day-to-day encounters to EthicsAndReligionTalk@gmail.com.